Words by Zinny BoswellInterview by Dan KhanImagery by Ben Scott & Leon YearwoodAyden Heaven never expected to leave Arsenal, but when it became apparent first-team opportunities were at a minimum, the decision was taken to move on from his boyhood club.Barcelona, Eintracht Frankfurt and Marseille were queuing up to sign him. For a kid that faced rejection from more than a few academies, the tables had turned. All it took was one visit to Old Trafford to make up his mind. “It’s United”, he told his mother and agent, Lisa. Barcelona had scheduled a visit the next day, but he was unwavering.Hale End was his home, but now - just as the Old Trafford banner says - Manchester is his Heaven. The 18-year-old and his mum sit down with Sky Sports News to tell his story.Ayden Heaven is Next Up.How a trip to Old Trafford convinced AydenThe decision to leave Arsenal explainedMeeting Amorim and Mertescker's influenceHow Ayden nearly joined Spurs instead of ArsenalAyden made his Premier League debut at Old Trafford against Arsenal in March – a month after leaving his former club. “It was surreal,” he says. “I was only with them like five weeks prior, and then to be playing against them on my Premier League debut was crazy.”It was less than two months earlier that Ayden first experienced the stadium's magic. United approached Arsenal in January about signing the centre-back, with his contract up in six months. Ayden and Lisa were given permission to visit to watch a game and have a tour.United were handed the perfect sales pitch when captain Bruno Fernandes took the roof off Old Trafford with a stoppage-time winner against Rangers in the Europa League. “It was probably the loudest stadium I’ve been to – and now played in,” says Ayden.There was no shortage of clubs trying to convince Lisa that Ayden should join them, but the defender was clear on what he wanted after that. “Ayden walked away going, ‘yeah, it's United’,” says Lisa. Acting as both mum and agent, she told him to sleep on it.“We talked again in the morning because we were invited to Barcelona the next day and he said, ‘nope it's United’,” says Lisa. They had visited Eintracht Frankfurt and there were other big offers on the table, but none of that mattered to Ayden.“That's why I knew it was the best move for him because he's picked it from the heart and if he's got the heart and the loyalty then that’s what wins the game,” says Lisa.The ‘Manchester Is My Heaven’ banner at Old Trafford caught his attention for obvious reasons - and it just so happens the story behind those words, attributed to Sir Matt Busby in United folklore, resonates with the emotional impact of Ayden's first visit.As the tale goes, that's what Sir Matt told Real Madrid president Santiago Bernabeu in the 1950s when he tried to lure United’s manager to Spain. His offer was “a paradise” – and Busby, so the story goes, replied with those now-iconic words.Ayden and Lisa posed underneath the banner for a picture when he was doing media ahead of the announcement of his signing. Five weeks later he was revving up the Old Trafford crowd not far from that spot on his Premier League debut against his former club Arsenal.In a further nod to United's storied past, Ayden chose to have the No 26 on the back of his shirt - the same number of years Sir Alex Ferguson spent as manager. Ayden was leaving an established title-challenger in Arsenal for the lure of recreating history at United.Courtesy of Man UtdCourtesy of Man UtdLisa made the decision to become Ayden's agent when he was 16 because no one else convinced her they could see his potential. She was never in any doubt."This is a business but in order for the business to be successful you have to understand what - [turning to Ayden] I know you're my son - but what your product is," she says. "I didn't feel anybody understood him and believed in him."When it came to agreeing terms with United, Lisa was clear Ayden didn't want to spend more time in the academy. As far as they were concerned, he had outgrown it and that’s why he was leaving Arsenal.Jason Wilcox, United’s sporting director, agreed the 18-year-old was ready. Lisa and the lawyers she describes as “Ayden’s co-agents”, Andy Squires May and Karim Bouzidi from Clintons law firm, carried out the negotiations. Nine days after his visit, Ayden was announced.As well as the magic of Old Trafford, it was the opportunities he could see at United that convinced Ayden of the move. “I just saw myself in the squad,” he says, “because there's not much in our way, so I just felt like I could establish myself better than at other clubs.”Lisandro Martinez was his competition at United for that left-sided centre-back spot in Ruben Amorim’s back three and, in the same game Ayden was introduced to Old Trafford with fellow new-signing Patrick Dorgu, the Argentine suffered a season-ending injury.This opened the door for Ayden earlier than even he anticipated. “I was really surprised,” he says, when asked about making his Premier League debut against Arsenal. “I knew when the opportunity came I could take it, and I feel like I've been doing it so far.”His situation at Arsenal could not have been more different. Already behind Gabriel and Jakub Kiwior in the pecking order at left-centre-back, Riccardo Calafiori was then signed for £42m after Ayden had been given minutes on the club’s US tour in pre-season.Ayden was in Arsenal’s first-team squad photo in September, but the next few months showed he wasn’t really in the picture. His only appearance was off the bench for the final 10 minutes of a 3-0 win over Preston in the Carabao Cup last-16.“[Leaving Arsenal] was a bittersweet moment because they had been so good with him,” says Lisa. “I felt like he had a good relationship with Mikel Arteta and the first team. But the pathway wasn’t there for him. He was ready for that next step.”Being brought on against Arsenal so soon after signing for United was a clear indication that Ayden had made the right move for his career. The response of his former team-mates at the full-time whistle demonstrated that they understood that too.“They showed [me] a lot of love after the game,” says Ayden, who was inundated with hugs and handshakes from the players he had trained with for the past two years.Arsenal had offered Ayden a new contract but could see what was unfolding for him. “They agreed Ayden had to move on for his development,” says Lisa. “It was our decision which club we went to, and Ayden made it for everyone."Ayden and Lisa spoke to Amorim on their visit to Old Trafford in January. United's head coach was visibly impressed by the sheer size of Ayden, around 6ft3in, having made no secret of his desire to improve the physicality of the team since being appointed.It isn't just Ayden's size Amorim likes. The teenager's poise in possession, coupled with his impressive ability as a ball-carrier, make him an ideal fit for the system Amorim wants to play at United."I'd been watching United, I knew Ayden's playing style and I knew what Ruben liked," says Lisa, who was encouraged by the way the coach planned to utilise her son. "Ayden had the same confidence."Amorim wants his back three to contribute to the build-up in ways other coaches rely on their midfielders to do so. Ayden's suitability to the role makes more sense when you learn he used to be a midfielder.World Cup-winning centre-back Per Mertesacker, recently appointed Arsenal academy manager when Ayden arrived at the club as a left-winger aged 12, was responsible for identifying his best position.Courtesy of Lisa HeavenCourtesy of Lisa Heaven"He's not a winger, he's a defender," Mertesacker would tell Lisa. She disagreed for a while but says the former Arsenal captain was convinced of Ayden being a centre-back as soon as he saw him play."Ayden just kept growing and went to defensive midfield and Per said, 'no, back a bit more'. I remember watching Ayden in defence for the first time and thinking, 'maybe Per knows what he's talking about'. I feel like Per had a huge impact on Ayden's development," says Lisa.Ayden turned to academy football aged six after it became obvious he had outgrown grassroots when Lisa was told during one particular game not to bring him back again."The score was 17-1 and they pulled me to one side," says Lisa. "‘He's ruining the game for everyone, the kids on his team are crying because he's not passing'. He was literally dribbling through everyone and scoring all the goals."Picture courtesy of Lisa HeavenPicture courtesy of Lisa HeavenFinding a footballing home for a football-obsessed Ayden proved troublesome until Arsenal arrived on the scene. "Ayden never had that coach in an academy that [said], ‘this is how we're going to work for him’," says Lisa."All he needed was someone to throw a lot of strategic information at him, which he didn't get from a young age. It led to him getting released for not sitting still at the age of six, seven, eight."Arsenal had known about Ayden for a while, but didn't have the space to sign him up until he was 12. When he got to Hale End, everything changed."That was probably the only club that took Ayden for who he was," says Lisa. "[They] worked with him and understood what kind of player he could be."Courtesy of Lisa HeavenCourtesy of Lisa HeavenIt so nearly panned out differently, though. When Arsenal finally came calling, Lisa was with Ayden in the car park at Tottenham ready to sign for them."I'm looking at Ayden like 'what do you want to do?'," says Lisa. "'Do we carry on walking or do I take this call?'" As soon as Arsenal heard what was happening, they promised to have Ayden in by the end of the week."We walked straight to the reception area and said 'thank you for this opportunity' but we're going to go and give it a go at Arsenal down the road."Perhaps not the hardest decision for an Arsenal-supporting family, but one of the most crucial on Ayden's journey. Lining up against them on his Premier League debut wasn't in the plan but, without them, he may never have got there.Ayden Heaven is Next Up.